My Birthday Book Haul!

I’m never much for sending out hints and wishlists to friends and family. They can give me whatever they see fit or none at all, I don’t mind. I’m actually embarrassed to let people know of the contents of my wishlists because they are pretty specific and some of them you can only get from certain places and/or they’re not exactly cheap. Honestly, I’d rather get them myself. Hey, I know where to get them for a good deal and I feel better knowing my monies got me that item. LOL, #giftsnob. But don’t get me wrong… I love gifts. 😉

And I’m not much for parties either. I’m pretty okay by my lonesome. But I wasn’t alone on my birthday. I was at the Long Beach Comic Con and I met one of my favorite voice actors, Troy Baker. As a gift to myself, I made a decision to go to a convention on the day of my birthday. We did get dinner after but no actual party, you know what I mean. And I enjoyed it. I got myself a new wand and a couple of pieces of art. It was a good day.

I actually wanted to get 28 books to celebrate my birthday but I only got to 21. These are the books that I purchased from September 15 until the 21st from several online sellers and bookstores. A good chunk of it are books that I really wanted to read, especially in physical format and the rest are Japanese fiction, my current obsession.

I give myself a pass for this haul. It was my birthday after all and a lot of these are bought at full price. I didn’t read very much in September but I’m back in the mood this month and hopefully for the rest of the year. So here’s my haul:

My Japanese fiction stack. I don’t even know where to begin with these. (Actually, yes. I already read Another by Yukito Ayatsuji.) I have other titles and I can’t wait to acquire more. I will also include where I got them to give you an idea where I shop for good reads.

Better World Books was a surprisingly good source of Japanese fiction. And they’re usually less expensive than other online used bookstores. Some titles, I only found there and I ended up making two separate purchases in a span of a week. I’m so glad that there is a Japanese specialty bookstore relatively near me. My brother and I first discovered Kinokuniya in San Francisco and were overjoyed to know that there’s one in the LA area.

Now for the non-Japanese part of my haul:

These are titles that I really REALLY want to read and I feel like they’re better read in hard copy rather than an e-book. I know, it’s crazy but I feel that way. I’m thinking about getting a better copy of The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder because look at it. I mean, it’s that tall mass market paperback that I dislike in mint condition. This one’s battered and definitely has seen better days. But idk… maybe I’m just being too picky. *shrugs*

Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich (from Barnes & Noble)

The Painted Bridge by Wendy Wallace (from Barnes & Noble)

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi (from Target, signed)

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman (from Better World Books)

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman (from Better World Books)

The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder (from Better World Books)

Prodigy: Graphic Novel by Marie Lu (from Barnes & Noble)

Taming the Beast by Emily Maguire(from Better World Books)

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (from Better World Books)

Eon by Alison Goodman (from Better World Books)

Eona by Alison Goodman (from Better World Books)

I am surprised at the lack of “from Book Outlet” on both lists. Hahaha, I did it! I resisted the temptation. No, really… it’s getting more difficult to place an order there. At least for me. I have a TON of books already and a lot of titles available on Book Outlet don’t interest me much. And whenever there is one that I want, I find myself holding off easier and easier. Yup, even the copy of The Hobbit with the pretty cloth-bound cover wasn’t enough to make me place an order. Plus, there’s the issue of shipping. All these places have free shipping. Book Outlet does not.

So the question now… will I go into a book buying ban? Ehhh… yes and no. Yes, because I’ll definitely try cutting back on buying books in bulk. I’m not really into the literary community as a whole. I just like to read and I don’t care for new releases apart from a handful of select authors. And I can wait. Or get them on e-book. No, because I prefer my Japanese fiction in hardcopy. I try to go to Kinokuniya Bookstore once a week if possible and I think I’m going to go through their whole collection of Japanese fiction translated to English soon enough. LOL! Or if I see a signed copy that I like to own, I might just get it.

(I have a digital copy of Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena. Is this book out of print? Because most of the hard copies I see online are upwards of $70. I would love to get my own copy for the sake of collections.)

So that’s it for my birthday book haul. All of these I paid for with my own monies, haha! May you have a wonderful rest of the year reading and discovering to new books!